Dave Bondy
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January 31, 2025

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LANSING, Mich - Former U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm awarded $14 billion in below-market loans to Michigan energy companies before leaving office, despite an Energy Department alert about conflicts of interest.

Inspector General Teri L. Donaldson warned Granholm’s undersecretary for energy infrastructure in December that the Energy Loan Programs Office was administering more than $385 billion in new loans without an effective system to manage conflicts of interest.

“This poses a significant risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Donaldson wrote. “The projects funded with this authority, which involve innovations in clean energy, advanced transportation, and tribal energy are inherently risky in part because these projects may have struggled to secure funding from traditional sources such as commercial banks and private equity investors.” Click here to read more.


 

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WASHINGTON D.C. - The person who was arrested Monday for allegedly plotting to kill Trump officials has been identified as 24-year-old Ryan Michael English, who prefers to go by Riley Jane.

WWLP reported that English was arrested Monday after traveling from Massachusetts to D.C., allegedly to kill some high-ranking Republicans.

The person who was arrested Monday for allegedly plotting to kill Trump officials has been identified as 24-year-old Ryan Michael English, who prefers to go by Riley Jane.

WWLP reported that English was arrested Monday after traveling from Massachusetts to D.C., allegedly to kill some high-ranking Republicans. Click here to read more.

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF - A momentous moment for the wildlife world was captured on camera after a live Mount Lyell shrew was photographed.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, these shrews are the only-known mammal species in the state that had not been previously photographed.

A wildlife photographer and a couple of student scientists joined forces with the University of California-Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and came up with a plan.

They captured a couple of shrews in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and took a few photos before setting the creatures free.

A momentous moment for the wildlife world was captured on camera after a live Mount Lyell shrew was photographed.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, these shrews are the only-known mammal species in the state that had not been previously photographed.

A wildlife photographer and a couple of student scientists joined forces with the University of California-Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and came up with a plan.

They captured a couple of shrews in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and took a few photos before setting the creatures free.

 

LANSING, Mich - Michigan Democrats calling for the death of President Donald Trump’s supporters are now “mobilizing for action.”

“To peeps out there trying find emotional shelter in this storm of radical right-wing Republican terrorism … please know that people in our community are mobilizing for action,” Lenawee County Democratic Party Chairman Bill Swift posted to Facebook on Monday. “You can be a part of that … anyone who rejects the hate and terrorism of this Nazi MAGA movement can be.”

The comments follow other since deleted social media posts from the Democratic Party calling for the death penalty for supporters of the 47th POTUS, whom Swift described as a “domestic enemy and domestic terrorist” in a call with Talk Back Radio with Doug Spade and Mike Clement on Saturday. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON — A Federal Aviation Administration report says that staffing at the Reagan National Airport air traffic control tower was “not normal” ahead of the deadly collision which presumably killed 67 people Wednesday evening, The New York Times reported.

The controller on duty at the time was reportedly “doing a job usually handled by two people.” The New York Times cited, but did not publish, the internal FAA document mentioned in its report.

The FAA did not respond to a request for comment from The National News Desk Thursday seeking confirmation.

Several American and Russian skaters were aboard the flight that crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter. The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday released a statement Thursday mourning its members who were aboard the flight. Click here to read more.

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October 15, 2026
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September 28, 2026
Libertarian party disavows candidate for Governor Anthony Hudson
September 24, 2026
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October 22, 2026
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Who Is Lady Budgetdown? The Mystery Account Raising Eyebrows and Uncovering School Finances
The anonymous figure behind a growing school transparency website says the project is run by one person, has faced threats of legal action and is expanding its reach across Michigan.

MICHIGAN — Who is Lady Budgetdown?

It’s a question that has circulated among Michigan educators, school administrators, taxpayers and social media users as a mysterious online watchdog continues digging into school district finances, superintendent salaries, bond proposals and public spending.

Now, the person behind the increasingly visible project is revealing new details about its origins, operations and future — while refusing to disclose their identity.

In an exclusive written interview, Lady Budgetdown confirmed the operation is run by a single individual, not a larger organization or political group.

 

“It started with just me, and it currently is only me,” Lady Budgetdown said.

The anonymous researcher said the project receives technical assistance with website development but independently oversees the research, reviews public records, creates content and determines what information gets published.

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October 22, 2026
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 22, 2026

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Michigan school funding tops inflation since before the pandemic

Funding for public schools in Michigan has grown faster than inflation since before the pandemic.

Yet some school teachers, like Amanda Walker of Bay City Schools, have said that schools are being defunded. Walker is vice president of her district’s chapter of the Michigan Education Association.

“I do think there’s been a concerted effort to dismantle public education by defunding, by diverting funds to private schools, by tearing down teachers and accusing them of all sorts of nonsense. People see it, and they feel it, and they don’t like it,” Walker told an MEA news publication recently.

It can feel that way at school districts such as Bay City, where the student count dropped 16% between 2018-19 and 2025-26, according to MiSchoolData.org. Fewer students means less in per-pupil funding. Click here to read more.


 

Data centers become midterm minefield as candidates scramble to answer voter backlash

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his support for building new data centers across the country, but candidates in both parties are trying to show voters they are listening to growing concerns about the technology. With the midterms two weeks away, the issue could help decide who voters ultimately choose.

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting. Click here to read more.

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Cops Release Woman Who Plowed Through Soccer Field: No Charges, No Explanation

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting.

In Hermantown, Minnesota, a rural community of about 10,000 people in the northeastern part of the state, the city council moved closer to approving a new Google data center. Some residents said officials haven’t pushed hard enough. Click here to read more.

 

Consumers Energy’s rate hike request comes days after $139M increase approved

Consumers Energy is looking for a rate hike on natural gas prices less than a week after the public service commission approved a $139 million increase.

The utility provider filed its notice of intent with regulators on Monday, which is required before it can submit its rate request.

The previous rate hike came out to about a 4.3% bump in monthly payments for natural gas.

Big picture view:

Consumers Energy has not said how much more it is asking for it its latest failing, but did say the new rate would last 12 months, ending Oct. 31, 2028.

Utility companies cannot set rates themselves. Instead, they submit a request to increase rates for either natural gas or electricity with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

After making the request, both parties and any other stakeholders weigh in on the case.

The Michigan Attorney General frequently intervenes in these cases. Click here to read more.

 

Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”

Trump said journalists could participate in the program. Click here to read more.

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October 20, 2026
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Michigan Audit Raises Questions About Medical Procedures Performed on Children in State Care
State auditors also identified problems with adoption approvals, oversight of children under state guardianship and security of confidential records.

LANSING, Mich. — Children under Michigan's guardianship underwent medical procedures without required consent or documentation, while thousands of others were not being consistently tracked by the state agency responsible for them, according to a new audit.

The Michigan Office of the Auditor General released a 40-page report Oct. 15 identifying significant deficiencies within the Michigan Children's Institute, which operates under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The institute serves as the legal guardian for children whose parental rights have been terminated.

Auditors concluded that the institute's selected guardianship activities were not sufficient, identifying problems with

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